TroubleandGrumpy

FIXED - I have a “drinking friend” who lives in the UK who has found “true love” in the bar. He is 58, divorced and seems fairly well off - but he is an idiot.

Sometimes works - sometimes does not - last 2 times I have had to report in person. I asked and they had no idea - I rang Bangkok and they said no idea ask local Office. I will try again online again next time - fingers crossed. But the issue is that I have to report - like a prisoner on parole - retired Expats dont in many other countries. You are working and with a BOI Visa are not really the issue mate - retired Expats and those visiting long-term.

Thais have zero to very little knowledge about allergies and what causes them. They use all sorts of oils and sauces in their cooking without knowing all the ingredients. Thailand and indeed any SEAsian country is not the place to eat out anything cooked by locals if you have serious allergies - aside from top end restaurants and khrapp like Pizza and Maccas and KFC - but even then, take that pen with you.

Yes it is - but that is not the4 main problem here. If anyone wants cheap living with English speaking and reasonable services etc etc then India is the best bet. However, India has some disadvantages - and unless you have been there, you will never know - suffice to stay I will never visit there again.

Dont forget to report to your parole officer !!

And that is exactly why Thailand is not the number one place for retiree Expats in SEAsia anymore. When I started looking and checking them out in 2010, Thailand was way ahead - Philippines a distant second. Now it has all changed - the other countries got better and Thailand got worse. If I was researching where to retire now, it would not be Thailand. I never was a Sexpat but I would probably visit - but I would be living elsewhere - Vietnam, Philippines or Malaysia (Penang) look better than Thailand - even Indonesia (Bali) if it is not too crowded. If I fell into some money - Singapore for sure. If I fell into serious money - then a mansion overlooking the ocean in north Queensland (Cairns). No I am not rich, but I do have money - much more than just a pension - got lucky and worked hard at it.

Very true - before the Junta it was great. Remember when the Junta did that TM30 BS - then quietly stopped that. Remember when they did that 'Expats must pay income taxes' - then quietly stopped that. Remember when they wanted 500 Baht for me to enter but 50 Baht for the Wife. Remember when the Judge stated that charging Expats 3-5 times extra was not allowed under the Constitution, but it was OK because Expats are rich and it is good for the Thais. And on and on and on it goes. And dont forget you must report to your Parole Officer every 3 months, and you must tell your Parole Officer if you change address, and you must tell your Parole Office if you leave the Province for over 1-2 days and again upon your return, and you must apply and pay to leave and re-enter the country, and you must apply and pay every 12 months to do that all again for the next 12 months - and we dont give a flying copulation if you have been here 10+ years. And no - you cannot buy land even if you have lived here 20 years. And no - we dont want you to become a Resident or Citizen.

The list of reasons why I should leave Thailand is long and getting longer each year. The reason I stay in Thailand is a very short list of one - my lovely wonderful Thai wife of over 13 years. But because we are both Aussie citizens, when we get 'too old' we will be going back. Thailand is not a place to get very old - the medical costs are horrendous - by that I mean about 80.

What a tosser as we say back home - get a GF and stop playing with it. The wife pays because she can get a discount without offending. Plus I am too lazy to bother.

Only in your mind, and in the minds of others like you.

You know it is true.

There are many other sources - try looking around. PS - sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, and it is far above you.

How you lot still think it was Russia is hilarious. But the truth is that 2016 was because the alternative was Clinton - pure and simple - all the Russia hoaxes have been debunked. they were a 'nothing burger' but they sold heaps of media space and got billions of clicks. Ukraine is not a war as such - it is a police action by Russia against the NATO/CIA lead coup that illegally removed the President of Ukraine and resulted in a Civil War from 2014. The reality of that situation and truth is completely lost on those that hate Trump. By the way, what did Biden do in 4 years? He and his corrupted Admin sent money and military equipment to a corrupt regime to support them because they had installed in 2014. Propaganda is what you have been lead to believe - total and utter propaganda - which was illegal in USA unless the country was at war - until Obama changed that law.

No - it is cognitive - but dont worry, there are millions like that about Trump. That is why the media does things like this story - it stirs up you guys. Remember when Trump was accused of saying the white nationalist nazis were 'good people' - a total lie and a fabrication of the truth - that is the norm for the media - thousands of times. You have been 'click baited' - the truth is not what they do - they are all about click baiting. Same on both sides - Fox and others carry on about absolute BS - but I know that it is BS and that most of it is exaggeration. But it aint anywhere near as bad as the mistruths about what Trump says, thinks, eats, walks etc etc etc. Is Trump an smooth talking politician and a diplomat - hell no - he is rough as guts and very abruptly direct - and that is one of the many reasons why so many voted for him.

Your cognitive bias means you cannot see all the lies and contradictions and the hypocrisy. I can - and it is evident on both sides - like all rational people - but far more from the left. I dont read or watch Truth Social or Facebook or Twitter - it is all BS - from both sides.

Trump was answering a media scrum question - it was a good answer and not the BS rhetoric coming out from people who want to war to continue or escalate. Real leaders do not deal with things through the media - that is how woke liberal leaders do it - as per all the Democrats making media statements about the anti-ICE riots and Trump using the National Guard. Trump could offer to give everyone 100,000 dollars and some people would find a reason to hate him for it.

I hear you, but I think there needs to be a line drawn as to when the fetus is a baby and has legal rights. It is certainly not 1 day after conception - although I do understand that to some people have a moral view that it does. Given that religious laws are no longer in charge and secular laws are in charge, the majority of people do not want to go back to sharia law type controls. May I suggest to all people that do not agree with abortion, that any stance stating it should be totally outlawed from conception, because of their own moral/religious views, will never succeed in a secular law based society. In fact, such an 'all or nothing' approach, will be used by the woke liberals to attack any change to make it illegal. The only likely successful approach to legally banning abortions, is to draw a line as to when a baby officially gains legal rights. When that line is drawn, then abortions after that time will be illegal unless they meet strict medical reasons. Yes it is not perfect and will be abused, but that is the best likely outcome. In 1999 in Australia there was a referendum held to become a Republic. However, because the terms of the referendum did not spell out exactly how the new head of state would be selected, many people voted no. No matter how many times people like myself tried to tell others that it was a Yes or No decision now, and that how the Head was selected was for next time, people argued that they wanted the Head to be elected and others said they wanted a joint sitting of Parliament to decide. Those people were 'distracted' and they lost the plot - they both wanted a Republic but they were distracted and the end result was a No vote for a referendum. There has been no mention of another referendum since then over 25 years later. IMO if those against abortion try to force the issue and make all abortions illegal, they will be targeted by the woke liberals as religious nutters and the majority of people will be 'distracted' and not agree with any change. However, the majority will probably however agree on a 'time limit' as to when an abortion should be legally allowed - meaning when the baby has legal rights.

I hear you - but the OBD2 reader can tell you if it is a minor problem or not - good ones tell you what is needed to fix the problem. I also agree about BKK - you are more likely to find a decent mechanic there - but finding them is the problem - and a long trip to get there. There is likely to be a decent mechanic in Chonburi somewhere who can diagnose and repair older Mercedes cars - good luck.

Unlikely to find one here mate - and you are likely to be ripped off on price too. Perhaps you can do something yourself by checking websites like this one. https://www.mercedesmedic.com/ I bought one of those OBD2 scanners years ago in Australia for my CLK280 - brilliant and easy to use. https://www.mercedesmedic.com/best-obd-2-can-scanners-for-car-diagnostics/

Your reputation precedes you??

I made a better mousetrap by improving what you said which was good. "No one is stopping you. We just point out the fact that the people that read these all day every day are nitwits."

The hate is deep in you mate - you truly believe all the lies the media spews out about Trump and about the Ukraine war - that is very sad. You probably still believe the lies about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars too - 6 times fully vaccinated are we too? 'Isolationist Lives' - read that is a gender studies or a feminist agenda book maybe??

That does not surprise me one little bit.

ROFLOL - Thailand the hub of feasibility plans that give money to wealthy 'friends and family' - but mostly result in SFA. Have they got money left over from all the 'land bridge' studies? Anyone else remember this drivel from February 2024 ? PM Srettha Thavisin has unveiled Thailand Vision 2030 with a commitment to boosting Thailand as a global industrial hub, driving the economy towards a sustainable future, including tourism, wellness & medical, food, aviation, future automotive manufacturing, technology, and finance. The first vision is the goal to become a Tourism Hub. Despite Thailand being the world 50th largest country, it holds the eighth place for world's tourist destinations. The tourism industry generates income for over one third of the Thai population, and it is estimated to have an economic value of over 2.3 trillion baht, or about 70% of the annual expenditure budget. The government will unceasingly promote Thai soft power, Thailand's life and soul, to be in the spotlight worldwide in terms of culture, festivals, concerts, films, arts, food, and notably, sports and martial arts, which are the identities of the Thai people. This place just gets funnier and funnier - the utter silliness and ignorance is just astounding. Thailand is funnier than Cheers and Monty Python put together - but they both made more sense.

Nothing is gonna happen in Thailand - that is why they dont pay - same reason they dont wear helmets - no enforcement of the rules/laws. Here in this gated community they paint the outside of the houses once every 12-18 months and they will repair basic items for free and they trim trees and bushes for free too - those that dont pay dues dont get houses painted or anything repaired or trimmed.